


Clearing the Air

by Lionheart39



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23719435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionheart39/pseuds/Lionheart39
Summary: Having finally got a high enough clearance Kate finds out why her father was always away from home.
Relationships: Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart & Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
Kudos: 6





	Clearing the Air

Doris had left them alone in the study, a glass of Whisky each. Gordy and she had gone out for a tour of the garden.

Gordy had been aware his Mum wanted a serious talk with Grandad. For the last few days, since she had taken the new post of second in command of UNIT UK, she now had the clearance to access UNIT's top level secrets. So she had been reading through the archive files, especially those that related to Grandad, in the evenings.

Doris, too noticed her step daughters demeanour at their fortnightly Sunday lunch. She was a little worried that there was going to be a falling out. She knew Alistair was always fearful Kate would walk out of his life again. Doris, had expressed that worry to Gordy. Telling him Grandad wasn't as well as he made out, it wouldn't help him if Kate, and he fell out again.

Gordy had tried to reassure her.

"I don't think she's annoyed with Grandad. I keep finding her crying as she reads the old UNIT files! I think she's annoyed with Grandma and herself!"

Doris said nothing. She didn't know a lot about Alistair's work, but she did know her husband well enough to understand that if he put a job before her, it must be vitally important. Why his first wife hadn't understood that she didn't know. The divorce had hurt Alistair badly, but his ex-wife turning his daughter against him had nearly been too much for Alistair to bear. She could never forgive, Fiona Campbell, for that, because it had caused Alistair so much grief.

Kate, swirled her drink in her glass, looking at the fire.

"I didn't know you were a founder member of UNIT, Dad. The file says you addressed the UN security council a few years after the London Event!"

Alistair looked into his own glass.

"Yes, well a unilateral approach was all well and good! But when you had to watch fellow soldiers, from another Country, getting slaughtered by invading Aliens; while politicians wouldn't let you help!"

He shook his head as if trying to dispel a memory. "I knew something had to be done!"

"I've read the files, Cybermen invading and you arranging for a Russian space craft to launch a missile to destroy the mother ship. Then reviving a missile defence team to shoot down the invasion fleet and destroy their bomb."

Alistair smiled.

"I've got to admit I took a lot of pleasure presenting that report. If any action proved UNIT worked, that was the one."

"Then there was the Silurian's unleashing a plague!" Kate reminded him.

"MMM, not my greatest day, I really alienated the Doctor with that one. I thought for a while he would leave us. But he came around. His 'planet sharing' idea was all well and good but my orders were to seal the caves and I followed them!"

Kate nodded her head. "Yes I could see the problem. But orders are orders!"

Alistair smiled, "Yes, but there are ways around orders, never forget that love!"

Kate smiled, the files highlighted her fathers creative ways around orders. That's why he was considered a bit of a Maverick, but no one questioned his integrity. The mention of the Brigadier was like mentioning some deity. It brought forth looks of reverence on the faces of UNIT personnel old and new. The Brigadier was legendary. Even General Sanchez face had set in awe when he saw her father's portrait on the wall of the London office. Winifred Bambara hadn't been quite the same, but she was trying to forge her own legend and to be constantly in the shadow of 'The Brig.' didn't help.

"Then there was Mars probe 7 and the Alien Ambassadors, the Sontarans, not to mention the Master. Oh Dad, no wonder you were always away from home!"

"Yes, it was full on, and the cuts in funding didn't help. But UNIT survived!" he quirked a sad little smile. "More than I can say for our family! I'm not proud of how I treated your mum or you," he said sadly!

Kate lent over and kissed his cheek, "But Dad, you were doing it to keep us safe. Mum just doesn't know that!"

"I only wanted to protect you Kate!" the old soldier said with such a depth of feeling that Kate's heart nearly burst.

"And I couldn't tell Fiona what I did, so of course she imagined the worst. I know she still thinks Doris and I were together before the divorce. But we weren't."

He stopped and thought of his wife. "Before I met your Mum there was Doris, but we lost touch. I found her again very soon after the divorce, but not before. I needed someone, everyone does. I'd lost everything, and Doris understood. She knew if I couldn't tell her it wasn't because I didn't love her. It was because I loved her too much."

They both sat quietly looking into the fire.

"How do you explain what UNIT deals with?" her father asked. "Your mum, would have been arranging for me to be certified!"

Kate laughed.

"I'm sorry, Dad. Sorry it took so long for me to understand. Sorry I doubted what I knew. I knew you loved me, but I let other people persuade me otherwise."

Alistair put his arm around her, "Kate you were six years old. I was a lousy Dad, never there when it mattered and always disappearing when you needed me!"

Kate smiled sadly at him tears in her eyes.

"But I loved you more than you'll ever know. Whenever the odds were so massively against us I was convinced that we'd lose, I only had to think of you. Then I knew those Aliens hadn't got a chance. They weren't getting past me to my little girl."

Kate tried to blink back tears as she cuddled in to her Dad's chest. But then gave up and just cried while her father held her. Cried for all those years they were apart.


End file.
